"Bellevue plan calls for 80 miles of bike lanes"--Seattle TimesThe Bellevue City Council passed a bicycle and pedestrian friendly plan this year that calls for 80 miles of bike lanes, 90 miles of sidewalks, and 20 miles of trail improvements. The council indicated that interest in walkable and rideable communities sparked the plan. The council had also planned for more bike lanes in 1993 but backed out when citizens showed concern over the costs involved. The most recent estimates show that there are only about 300 people in Bellevue who currently bike to work, but most stakeholders agree that the low number can be attributed to the difficulty of biking around a car-centric area. The city council has not yet decided how they are going to pay for the plan. - 10/02/2009

"Data buoys in Strait to provide real-time marine data"--Peninsula Daily NewsThe U.S. navy is funding a project to deploy buoys in the Puget Sound that will track real-time environmental data in the Sound, and may also serve as dirty-bomb sensors to marine traffic in the area. The Navy has hired a Port Townsend firmed called Intellicheck Mobilisa to make the buoys, and the University of Washington Applied Physics Lab works with the company to outfit the buoys with data sensors, which track such environmental factors as dissolved oxygen, algae, and salinity. UW and Intellicheck have both received federal funds for the project that will last them another 18 months, and are hopeful that the Navy will continue to have interest in the project. The UW Applied Physics Lab uses the environmental information from the buoys to monitor conditions and track the effects of climate change in the Puget Sound. - 10/05/2009

"New ferry may get S'Klallam chief's name"--Seattle TimesThe new Port Townsend to Keystone (Whidbey Island) ferry that is currently being built may get the name “Chetzemoka,” which was submitted for consideration by Port Townsend officials. The state Department of Transportation said it is cheaper to paint the name on the boat now, rather than waiting until after the boat has been built. Chetzemoka was a chief of the S’Klallam tribe, and was known as a peacemaker between Native American tribes and white settlers. Port Townsend’s oldest city park is named after him. The Transportation Commission will have a meeting later this month to decide on the name. An earlier ferry running in Port Townsend from 1938-1947 had previously been named Chetzemoka. - 10/07/2009

"Renewable energy could be future of county manufacturing"--Vancouver Columbian - Please Ask a Librarian for a copy of this article.The old industrial base of Vancouver and Clark County--logging, aluminum, wood and paper products--is either gone or much smaller these days. The path to a manufacturing future for Clark County might start with federal Stimulus money for green manufacturing in the field of renewable energy and energy conservation. The Port of Vancouver is major transit point for wind turbines. Production of LED bulbs is boosted by efforts such as the military using them to replace incandescent bulbs. A plant in Vancouver is building a trial wave energy buoy. Wave energy seems like a natural fit for the Northwest coast, but practical aspects including ecological impacts need to be studied. - 10/07/2009

"State license plates to add 7th character"--Seattle TimesThe Department of Licensing announced that they will start issuing license plates with seven characters as soon as DOL offices run out of the six-character plates. The new plates will be configured as one digit, one letter, two digits, then three more letters. That type of configuration allows for a large number of plates to be issued (350 million), won’t duplicate plates in existence, and is the type requested by law enforcement agencies. Since the new plates are being issued as the old plates run out, the availability of new plates will be different for each office. The background will remain the same on all plates. See the DOL website for information on replacing old plates. - 10/08/2009

"Richland man denies bilking state out of $24,000"--Pasco/Kenneiwck/Richland Tri-City HeraldFolks, don't try this at home or at work--especially not at work. A Richland resident is going to court over charges that defrauded the Department of Labor and Industries (LNI). He claimed he hurt his back while working in Walla Walla and got over $24,000 in workers compensation payments during a 7 month period in 2008. One of the conditions of getting the payments was that he not work while collecting them. During that time he was working in a similar job in the Tri-Cities. He was regularly lifting heavy boxes while working there. Imagine his surprise when he saw his old boss at the office . Imagine his old boss' surprise since employers pay into the fund that covers workers compensation. He was reported and LNI investigated. Now he's facing felony theft charges. He not the only person who's tried something like this--in 2008 LNI referred 25 cases of workers compensation fraud to prosecutors. - 10/08/2009

"NASA probes hit moon twice"--Seattle TimesAccording to NASA scientists, the LCROSS mission to smash two probes into the moon in search of polar ice was a success. NASA says they received a lot of good data from the probes, which hit the moon and launched a six-mile long plume of lunar dust. Unfortunately, photos taken by one of the probes are fuzzy and unspectaclular, but NASA is happy with the data they’ve received and is confident that the information from the probes will add to our knowledge of the moon. - 10/09/2009

"Tacoma Police target prostitutes"--Tacoma News TribuneUsing $50,000 of a federal grant, the Tacoma police department is going to step up patrols in the South End neighborhood in order to crack down on prostitution in the area. The grant money will go towards paying overtime for police officers. The local communities along Pacific Ave., Portland Ave., and South Tacoma Way have reported an uptick in prostitution activity along those streets. So far, 28 women have been arrested. The city of Tacoma is also sponsoring an initiative called Safe and Clean, which provides signs for businesses that discourage prostitution. Tacoma is also hoping to get a state law passed which will allow police departments to impound vehicles of prostitute customers. - 10/12/2009

"Cantwell, panel say yes to health bill"--Tacoma News Tribune - Please Ask a Librarian for a copy of this article.U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell was one of 13 democrats on the Senate Finance Committee to support a proposed health care reform bill put forward by the committee. Cantwell contributed to the bill, adding an amendment that would make it easier for states to create basic health plans such as the one in Washington state. Cantwell says the bill is also good for Washington because it distributes Medicare money in a way that is more beneficial to this state. But she thinks that the bill needs to go further and add a public option, which would be an insurance plan sold by the federal government. The Finance Committee bill will need to be combined with the Health Committee bill and then be brought to a vote on the floor of the senate. - 10/14/2009

"State liquor board experimenting with seasonal gift stores in area malls"--Seattle TimesThe state liquor control board, which currently operates or contracts with all liquor stores in Washington, is planning on opening a few seasonal stores in the greater Seattle area and Bellingham. The board is opening the stores in Pacific Place, Alderwood mall, The Commons at Federal Way and Bellis Fair Mall. The gift stores will supposedly be more attractive than their typical liquor stores, and will feature holiday gift packages and the types of liquor that people typically buy around the holidays. The board says that if sales are strong, more seasonal stores may open up throughout the state in future years. The board says they are using the new stores to generate additional revenue for the cash-strapped state budget. - 10/16/2009

"U.S. Supreme Court shields Referendum 71 signatures"--Everett HeraldThe U.S. Supreme Court decided on an 8-1 vote to block the release of Referendum 71 signatures until the high court decides whether or not to hear the case. Last week a federal appeals court judge reversed an earlier decision, and upheld arguments made by the Washington Secretary of State and Attorney General that said the signatures must be released to conform to state public disclosure laws. However, Justice Anthony Kennedy stayed the release of signatures until further notice, and yesterday eight other Supreme Court justices agreed with him in a majority vote. People against releasing the signatures argue that political petition signatures constitute protected freedom of speech, and feel that releasing the signatures would violate first amendment rights. - 10/21/2009

"Larch Corrections Center closure suggested: Report gives options to reduce number of prison beds"--Vancouver Columbian - Please Ask a Librarian for a copy of this article.Larch Corrections Center Could be closed as cost-savings measure. It was among the facilities named in a report commissioned by the Legislature as part of the 2009-2011 budget. The stated purpose of the report was to make recommendations for reducing the number of people in Washington state institutions. Larch houses nearly 480 minimum security inmates who are about to reenter the community. It's probably no conincidence that Larch is getting a new superintendent whose background includes experience in community corrections. - 10/21/2009

"Commerce Department rebuts Bellingham protest over NOAA site"--Bellingham Herald - Please Ask a Librarian for a copy of this article.The Commerce Department’s response to the Ports of Bellingham and Seattle defended NOAA’s choice to relocate their Pacific Marine Operations Center to Newport, Oregon. The response noted that both ports’ leases were too high, which NOAA officials said they had clearly communicated to Bellingham and Seattle before the bid was awarded to Newport. Bellingham officials say they didn’t realize that having higher leases would disqualify them. NOAA further stated that Newport’s bid offered the highest technical standards for the lowest price. The Government Accountability Office is set to release their findings on the issue in December. - 10/22/2009

"Why Charleston could land 787 line"--Seattle TimesBoeing is currently deciding which city will host its second 787 Dreamliner assembly plant: Charleston, South Carolina, or Everett. Unfortunately for Washington state, Charleston offers some business perks Washington can’t, the foremost of which is a non-unionized workforce. While a unionized mechanic in Everett earns $26 an hour on average, a non-unionized worker in Charleston earns $14 an hour. That difference in labor cost, in addition to an inability for the workers to strike, means a lot of possible savings. However, awarding the plant to Charleston would likely strain ties in Washington and some predict massive strikes would ensue here. South Carolina also offers state-funded training to workers and grants for construction. Washington offers perks to the aerospace industry as well, but they may not be enough to sway Boeing. - 10/23/2009

"Gregoire announces viaduct monitoring system"--SeattlePI.comThe governor has unveiled a new warning system for Seattle’s Alaskan Way Viaduct that will be in place while the deep bore tunnel to replace the viaduct is being built. The system will monitor seismic activity, and gates will close off the viaduct and provide detour signs at the first sign of strong tremors. The tunnel is not expected to be ready for use until 2015, but the viaduct is widely regarded as seismically unsound. The monitoring system will cost between $5 and $10 million, but will be paid for with federal funds. This weekend Gov. Gregoire and Seattle mayor Greg Nickels signed an agreement on the replacement tunnel option in a ceremony meant to close the door on any further objections to the controversial tunnel. - 10/24/2009

"Flood pros set strategy for Green, White rivers"--Tacoma News Tribune - Please Ask a Librarian for a copy of this article.In an attempt to keep flooding as minimal as possible this winter, the Army Corps of Engineers is planning on releasing some of the water in the reservoir behind the Howard Hanson Dam after heavy rains. Releasing the water might make the waters in the river higher, but officials say the measure is needed to keep the weak dam from failing during storms. Though a leak in the dam has temporarily been fixed, the dam is only able to hold back about one-third of the water that it used to. Meanwhile, the White River floodplain has been lowered from 10,000 feet to 8,000 feet, so the Corps will need to keep their eye on that river as well. - 10/28/2009

"Why Everett lost out on Boeing's second 787 line"--Everett HeraldBoeing has officially announced that their second 787 production line will be headquartered in South Carolina, rather than Washington state. According to union officials, the machinists union in Everett offered a 10-year no-strike deal to entice Boeing to keep the line here. South Carolina workers recently voted down forming a union, and workers there get paid significantly less than Everett’s union workers. But that wasn’t enough for Boeing: they also wanted to cut workers’ health care and other benefits, which the union wasn’t willing to do until 2018. Boeing’s decision to put the new line somewhere besides Washington state has many worried about the aerospace company’s future in this area. Though Boeing has plants in many other states, their Washington plants employ by far the largest number of people. Some workers are also concerned about what effect the long distance between the two production lines will have on the already-beleaguered 787 line. - 10/29/2009